Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah, chairman of the Central Haj Committee, congratulated King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and Crown Prince Sultan, and Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Interior Minister and chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee on the successful Haj season this year. His statement came during a press conference in his office in Mina on Wednesday. The City of Tents wore a deserted look Wednesday evening as about 90 percent of the estimated 2.5 million pilgrims left the Mina Valley to perform Tawaf Al-Wida (Farewell Tawaf) in the Grand Mosque in Makkah. However, those unable to get out of Mina by Wednesday sunset will remain in the valley for another day of the stoning ritual. The Tawaf is the culmination of the Haj rituals. Earlier in the day, pilgrims pelted the pillars symbolizing Satan largely in an orderly manner as has been the case during the last two days. However, tens of thousands of pilgrims, mostly illegal local pilgrims performing Haj on their own with no grouping times allotted for stoning, were about to cause a crowd crisis after assembling near the Jamrat waiting for the Zawal time (noon) to perform their last stoning rituals, official said. On the 11th and 12th of Dhul Hijja, the permitted time for stoning does not even begin until noon, after which it is Sunnah to stone until sunset. The crowds at the plazas and ramps leading to the Jamrat Bridge were mainly caused by illegal local pilgrims, said Eisa Rawas, Deputy Minister of Haj for Umrah Affairs. Security forces intervened and stopped incoming flows of pilgrims into the Jamrat Bridge area and asked the waiting pilgrims in the plazas down the bridge to go up through the ramps and start stoning at around 2 P.M. Aged pilgrims and those with special needs were taken into small carts on the bridge to avoid the crowds, he said. A few Haj companies, however, did not comply with their scheduled times for their pilgrims to stone, said Gen. Ali Habab, chief of Haj security. Some pilgrims broke away from their Haj companies and stoned on their own, he further said. The pitfalls will be studied to avoid a repeat in the coming years, he said. The Haj Ministry has informed Haj companies not to take their pilgrims to Makkah for the farewell Tawaf right after finishing off the stoning rituals to give a chance to the pilgrims finishing their Haj rituals on 12th Dhul Hijja to do it and leave Makkah, he said. The mass movement of pilgrims to the Grand Mosque after the stoning ritual will be reviewed and studied to find more feasible solutions to this issue in the coming years, the Haj deputy minister said. Heart-rending scenes of pilgrims openly crying and some wiping tears that rolled down their cheeks bade farewell to the Mina Valley, the scene of hectic rituals of stoning, shaving of heads and sacrificing animals. More than two million pilgrims including 1.7 million from abroad performed this year's Haj according to reports released by the Central Department of Statistics. All roads leading to the Grand Mosque were jammed with buses and cars transporting pilgrims. Pilgrims stood for a long time after stoning the last pillar praying Allah to bless their Haj and forgive their sins. Weeping pilgrims with hands raised toward the sky were frequent scenes on the Jamrat Bridge. “These are tears of joy and sadness,” said Salem Al-Montashiri, a Saudi pilgrim. “We are sad because we are not sure whether we have completed all the rituals in the prescribed manner and whether Allah will accept our Haj or not,” Salem added. “God makes things easy,” said Muhammad Mousa, an Egyptian teacher and father of two pushing a twin pram by a pilgrim bus in Jamrat. “The expansions have reduced crowding a little, praise be to God.” I feel I'm reborn,” said Iranian pilgrim Parviz Karimi. “Words cannot tell how I am feeling now. I feel I'm purified and that God has forgiven all my sins.” Makkah's streets were packed Wednesday with pilgrims buying clothes, electronic equipment and plastic bottles to fill up with Zamzam water that is given to friends and relatives back home as gifts. Some pilgrims spoke on the telephone to give loved ones news that they'd completed the pilgrimage's rituals. According to Islamic teachings, the Haj is a spiritual journey that cleanses the soul. “I feel more responsibility now after completing the Haj. God has washed away all my sins and I vow not to commit any more sins in the future. And that is a big responsibility for the rest of my life,” said Malaysian pilgrim Haji Abu Hassan Morad. Authorities set around 1,500 cameras to monitor the crowd at holy sites. Some 500 cameras watch pilgrims in the Grand Mosque as a way to manage the crowd and avoid congestion that may lead to stampedes.
